Systems and methods for automated assessment for remediation and/or redevelopment of brownfield real estate

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for distributed, automated management of brownfield real estate asset remediation and/or redevelopment, including at least one server computer for analyzing and providing recommendations for a potential brownfield investment, wherein the at least one server computer is paired with a web-based graphical interface for accessing and editing stored documents, pictures, tasks, and budget information related to at least one brownfield asset.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and claims priority from the following USpatents and patent applications. This application is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 15/875,608, filed Jan. 19, 2018, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/325,732, filed Dec.14, 2011, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to assessment for investing in theremediation and/or redevelopment of real estate, and more particularly,to automated optimization of assessing, remediating and redevelopingbrownfield real estate.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Prior art provides for general methods for real estate developmentproject management, including brownfield projects.

By way of example the following are relevant prior art documentsrelating to brownfield real estate development: U.S. Pat. No. 7,774,184& US Pub. No. 20080091283 for Brownfield workflow and productionforecast tool assigned on the face of the document to SchlumbergerTechnology Corp., describing a computer-based method for conducting atechnical assessment phase of a brownfield assessment plan including thesteps of determining an optimal set of engineering tasks to be performedin the technical assessment phase, the engineering tasks are based on atleast well, operations, and facilities data; performing analysis of thewell, operations and facilities data based on one or more of wellinformation, historical well data, geological well data.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,031,838—System and method for cradle-to-grave solutionfor investigation and cleanup of hazardous waste impacted property andenvironmental media. Assignee: Integrated Environmental Services, Inc.Describes a system for environmental data management, comprising anapplication including: A mapping module that generates an interactivegraphical mapping interface of the site, the interactive mappinginterface including links to environmental data from a site and relateddocuments; An analysis module that analyzes the environmental data,including contaminants of potential concern (COPC) data; A riskassessment module that assesses the human health risks caused by COPCsat the site; And a remediation module that screens remedial technologyfor cleaning up COPCs.

US Pub. No. 20080208637—Method and system for assessing environmentalrisk associated with parcel of real property. Assignee: AmericanInternational Group, Inc. Describes a method of assessing theenvironmental risk associated with a property comprising: Determiningthe current use or uses of a property; Determining an intended use oruses of the property; Determining whether the property will beredeveloped, and if not to be redeveloped then further providing anautomatic quote for environmental insurance; Determining whetherunderground storage tanks are present on the property, and if so, thensite with tanks is excluded from the environmental insurance;Determining water distance to nearest surface water; Determining aresidential distance to a nearest residential property; Determining anagricultural distance to a nearest agricultural property; Using theabove steps to generate an environmental risk assessment report, whereinthe report does not involve a physical inspection of the property.

US Pub. No. 20100088139—Project management system adapted for planningand managing projects. Assignee: Schlumberger Information Solutions.Describes a method for planning and managing project plans associatedwith one or more projects in a business, the method including generatingone or more output displays adapted for planning and managing theproject plans of the one or more projects in the business and providinga user with a view into the project plans.

Further describes input data that may include information such as humanknowledge and experience data, encapsulated knowledge, project-specificconstraints, finance data, health safety and environmental data, humanresource data, and summary daily report data. Further provides as anexample of a typical project dashboard, an illustration of a productionproject for brownfield rehabilitation (FIG. 30 ).

US Pub. No. 20100042420—Environmental resource management system andmethod. Assignee: Not Listed; Inventors: Douglas C. Hutchinson.Describes a method for managing resource usage in an area for members ofthe area, comprising: Determining the initial resource status of thearea; Creating modification standards for the area which haveenvironmentally beneficial attributes; Monitoring the execution ofmodifications to the area by members of the area for conformity to themodification standards; Managing performance of the modifications tosustain the environmental attributes of the modifications; Furtherdescribes that the step of determining the initial resource statuscomprises the assessment of air, soil, water, flora, and fauna of thearea. Further describes that this method may be used to managedevelopment impacts on resources from initial status (includingbrownfield sites) through project completion and ongoing use.

US Pub. No. 20050226688—Geomorphology environmental remediation processand systems. Assignee: Ann Arbor Technical Services & Earth Tech, Inc.Describes a method for investigating a site for possible selectiveremoval of sediment containing a contaminant, comprising: Calculating anadjusted contaminant concentration for one or more sediment zones in asite containing a water course. Further describes designing andimplementing a remediation plan based on the determination of which ofthe sediment zones are in need of remediation.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,191 & U.S. Pat. No. 7,346,572—Brownfields investing.Assignee: CLHSM, LLC. Describes a brownfield investment vehicle forinvesting in brownfields-related projects that supports all aspects of abrownfield remediation/development/redevelopment project while shieldinginvestors from environmental liability.

'191 describes a method for investing in brownfields comprising:Establishing a brownfields fund, the brownfields fund providinginvestment capital on a non-recourse basis for brownfields projects andremaining passive with respect to the brownfields projects; Receivinginvestor capital from investors; Approving an entity for the investmentcapital on the non-recourse basis for a respective one of thebrownfields projects according to a predetermined criteria, the entityhaving an ownership interest in a brownfield associated with one of thebrownfields projects; And providing investment capital on thenon-recourse basis to the approved entity using at least some of theinvestor capital from the investors.

'572 describes similar methods for investing in brownfields and managingbrownfields funds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to predictive-modeling-based optimizationof brownfield real estate property redevelopment, including assessmentof a property for investment quality, for remediation, and/or forredevelopment.

It is an object of this invention to provide systems and methods forassessment for investment, remediation and/or redevelopment ofbrownfield real estate property. Accordingly, one embodiment of thisinvention is directed to assessment for investment, remediation and/orredevelopment including a network-based computer system havinginteractive software via web-based user interface for automated processmethodologies for the assessment phases, remediation phases, and/orredevelopment phases of brownfield real estate property, includingrequired steps in each of the phases.

In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a system forcloud based, multi-user assessment of brownfield real estate assetsincluding at least one server computer constructed and configured toassess, manage, and display data relating to brownfield assets, at leastone memory and database operable to store technical data, documents, andbudget information related to the brownfield assets, wherein the atleast one server computer automatically analyzes information related toat least one brownfield asset and at least one previous brownfieldasset, wherein the information includes revenue and projected orcalculated costs; wherein the information further includes demographics,economics, real estate performance and trends, environmentalsustainability, political risks and public policy, and/or developmentpartner potential, wherein the automatic analysis includes determining aprojected rate of return for the brownfield asset; wherein the data isextracted from external and internal data sources, aggregated within theat least one memory and database, and matched to existing data orproject files according to set rules, wherein the information is basedon user-input data and retrieved data from external systems, wherein theat least one server computer generates an investment recommendationbased on the analysis and the matched data or project files, a web-basedgraphical interface hosted on the at least one server computer, whereinthe web-based graphical interface is operable to: store input datarelating to the brownfield assets in the at least one memory anddatabase, search the stored input data based on brownfield informationcategories, including demographics, economics, real estate performanceand trends, environmental sustainability, political risks and publicpolicy, and/or development partner potential, retrieve and display thestored input data in graphical charts, maps, and graphs, communicate thestored input data to an internal or external entity, wherein theuser-input data includes documents, pictures, tasks, and budgetinformation relating at least one of the brownfield assets, wherein thetasks are automatically generated by the at least one server computerbased on default tasks, wherein at least one user of the multi-userdistributed system is operable to approve and manage the documents,pictures, tasks, and budget information, wherein at least one of thedocuments corresponds to at least one of the tasks and is automaticallygenerated based on the stored input data, and wherein the systemgenerates an alert or notification if a line item or a total of a budgetexceeds an approved amount.

In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method forcloud based, multi-user assessment of brownfield real estate assetsincluding providing at least one server computer constructed andconfigured to assess, manage, and display data relating to brownfieldassets, providing at least one memory and database operable to storetechnical data, documents, and budget information related to thebrownfield assets, automatically analyzing information related to atleast one brownfield asset and at least one previous brownfield asset,including revenue and projected or calculated costs, wherein theinformation further includes demographics, economics, real estateperformance and trends, environmental sustainability, political risksand public policy, and/or development partner potential, determining aprojected rate of return for the brownfield asset as part of theautomatic analysis, extracting data from external and internal datasources, aggregating the data within the at least one memory anddatabase, and matching the data to existing data or project filesaccording to set rules, the at least one server computer receiving inputdata and retrieving data from external systems, generating an investmentrecommendation based on the analysis and the matched existing data orproject files, providing a web-based graphical interface hosted on theat least one server computer, the web-based graphical interface: storinginput data relating to the brownfield assets in the at least one memoryand database, searching the stored input data based on brownfieldinformation categories, including demographics, economics, real estateperformance and trends, environmental sustainability, political risksand public policy, and/or development partner potential, retrieving anddisplaying the stored input data in graphical charts, maps, and graphs,communicating the stored input data to an internal or external entity,including documents, pictures, tasks, and budget information relating atleast one of the brownfield assets, automatically generating tasks basedon default tasks, at least one user of the multi-user distributed systemapproving and managing the documents, pictures, tasks, and budgetinformation, automatically generating at least one of the documents,wherein the at least one of the documents corresponds to at least one ofthe tasks, and generating an alert or notification if a line item or atotal of a budget exceeds an approved amount.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a systemfor cloud based, multi-user assessment of brownfield real estate assetsincluding at least one server computer constructed and configured toassess, manage, and display data relating to brownfield assets, at leastone memory and database operable to store technical data, documents, andbudget information related to the brownfield assets, at least one mobiledevice accessible to input the technical data, documents, and budgetinformation related to the brownfield assets, including geolocationinformation, wherein the at least one server computer automaticallyanalyzes information related to at least one brownfield asset and atleast one previous brownfield asset, wherein the information includesrevenue and projected or calculated costs; wherein the informationfurther includes demographics, economics, real estate performance andtrends, environmental sustainability, political risks and public policy,and/or development partner potential, wherein the automatic analysisincludes determining a projected rate of return for the brownfieldasset; wherein the data is extracted from external and internal datasources, aggregated within the at least one memory and database, andmatched to existing data or project files according to set rules,wherein the information is based on data input by the at least onemobile device and data retrieved data from external systems, wherein theat least one server computer generates a spreadsheet with the analyzedinformation and a recommendation for investment based on the analysisand the matched existing data or project files, a web-based graphicalinterface accessible by the at least one mobile device and hosted on theat least one server computer, wherein the web-based graphical interfaceis operable to: store input data relating to the brownfield assets inthe at least one memory and database, search the stored input data basedon brownfield information categories, including demographics, economics,real estate performance and trends, environmental sustainability,political risks and public policy, and/or development partner potential,retrieve and display the stored input data in graphical charts, maps,and graphs, communicate the stored input data to an internal or externalentity, wherein the input data includes documents, pictures, tasks, andbudget information relating at least one of the brownfield assets,wherein the tasks are automatically generated by the at least one servercomputer based on default tasks, wherein at least one user of themulti-user distributed system is operable to approve and manage thedocuments, pictures, tasks, and budget information, wherein at least oneof the documents corresponds to at least one of the tasks and isautomatically generated based on the stored input data, and wherein thesystem generates an alert or notification if a line item or a total of abudget exceeds an approved amount.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art after a reading of the following description ofthe preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings, as theysupport the claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of theinvention (basic cloud computing schematic).

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of the invention(entitled Development Process Flow).

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating steps in one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is another flow diagram illustrating steps in one embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 6 is another flow diagram illustrating steps in one embodiment ofthe invention and related hierarchy of stages of the present inventionsystems and methods.

FIG. 7 is a diagram stages in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is another flow diagram illustrating steps in one embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating process roles in one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram continued from FIG. 3 illustrating subsequentsteps in one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings in general, the illustrations are for thepurpose of describing a preferred embodiment of the invention and arenot intended to limit the invention thereto.

In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a system forcloud based, multi-user assessment of brownfield real estate assetsincluding at least one server computer constructed and configured toassess, manage, and display data relating to brownfield assets, at leastone memory and database operable to store technical data, documents, andbudget information related to the brownfield assets, wherein the atleast one server computer automatically analyzes information related toat least one brownfield asset and at least one previous brownfieldasset, wherein the information includes revenue and projected orcalculated costs; wherein the information further includes demographics,economics, real estate performance and trends, environmentalsustainability, political risks and public policy, and/or developmentpartner potential, wherein the automatic analysis includes determining aprojected rate of return for the brownfield asset; wherein the data isextracted from external and internal data sources, aggregated within theat least one memory and database, and matched to existing data orproject files according to set rules, wherein the information is basedon user-input data and retrieved data from external systems, wherein theat least one server computer generates an investment recommendationbased on the analysis and the matched data or project files, a web-basedgraphical interface hosted on the at least one server computer, whereinthe web-based graphical interface is operable to: store input datarelating to the brownfield assets in the at least one memory anddatabase, search the stored input data based on brownfield informationcategories, including demographics, economics, real estate performanceand trends, environmental sustainability, political risks and publicpolicy, and/or development partner potential, retrieve and display thestored input data in graphical charts, maps, and graphs, communicate thestored input data to an internal or external entity, wherein theuser-input data includes documents, pictures, tasks, and budgetinformation relating at least one of the brownfield assets, wherein thetasks are automatically generated by the at least one server computerbased on default tasks, wherein at least one user of the multi-userdistributed system is operable to approve and manage the documents,pictures, tasks, and budget information, wherein at least one of thedocuments corresponds to at least one of the tasks and is automaticallygenerated based on the stored input data, and wherein the systemgenerates an alert or notification if a line item or a total of a budgetexceeds an approved amount.

In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method forcloud based, multi-user assessment of brownfield real estate assetsincluding providing at least one server computer constructed andconfigured to assess, manage, and display data relating to brownfieldassets, providing at least one memory and database operable to storetechnical data, documents, and budget information related to thebrownfield assets, automatically analyzing information related to atleast one brownfield asset and at least one previous brownfield asset,including revenue and projected or calculated costs, wherein theinformation further includes demographics, economics, real estateperformance and trends, environmental sustainability, political risksand public policy, and/or development partner potential, determining aprojected rate of return for the brownfield asset as part of theautomatic analysis; extracting data from external and internal datasources, aggregating the data within the at least one memory anddatabase, and matching the data to existing data or project filesaccording to set rules, the at least one server computer receiving inputdata and retrieving data from external systems, generating an investmentrecommendation based on the analysis and the matched existing data orproject files, providing a web-based graphical interface hosted on theat least one server computer, the web-based graphical interface: storinginput data relating to the brownfield assets in the at least one memoryand database, searching the stored input data based on brownfieldinformation categories, including demographics, economics, real estateperformance and trends, environmental sustainability, political risksand public policy, and/or development partner potential, retrieving anddisplaying the stored input data in graphical charts, maps, and graphs,communicating the stored input data to an internal or external entity,including documents, pictures, tasks, and budget information relating atleast one of the brownfield assets, automatically generating tasks basedon default tasks, at least one user of the multi-user distributed systemapproving and managing the documents, pictures, tasks, and budgetinformation, automatically generating at least one of the documents,wherein the at least one of the documents corresponds to at least one ofthe tasks, and generating an alert or notification if a line item or atotal of a budget exceeds an approved amount.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a systemfor cloud based, multi-user assessment of brownfield real estate assetsincluding at least one server computer constructed and configured toassess, manage, and display data relating to brownfield assets, at leastone memory and database operable to store technical data, documents, andbudget information related to the brownfield assets, at least one mobiledevice accessible to input the technical data, documents, and budgetinformation related to the brownfield assets, including geolocationinformation, wherein the at least one server computer automaticallyanalyzes information related to at least one brownfield asset and atleast one previous brownfield asset, wherein the information includesrevenue and projected or calculated costs; wherein the informationfurther includes demographics, economics, real estate performance andtrends, environmental sustainability, political risks and public policy,and/or development partner potential, wherein the automatic analysisincludes determining a projected rate of return for the brownfieldasset; wherein the data is extracted from external and internal datasources, aggregated within the at least one memory and database, andmatched to existing data or project files according to set rules,wherein the information is based on data input by the at least onemobile device and data retrieved data from external systems, wherein theat least one server computer generates a spreadsheet with the analyzedinformation and a recommendation for investment based on the analysisand the matched existing data or project files, a web-based graphicalinterface accessible by the at least one mobile device and hosted on theat least one server computer, wherein the web-based graphical interfaceis operable to: store input data relating to the brownfield assets inthe at least one memory and database, search the stored input data basedon brownfield information categories, including demographics, economics,real estate performance and trends, environmental sustainability,political risks and public policy, and/or development partner potential,retrieve and display the stored input data in graphical charts, maps,and graphs, communicate the stored input data to an internal or externalentity, wherein the input data includes documents, pictures, tasks, andbudget information relating at least one of the brownfield assets,wherein the tasks are automatically generated by the at least one servercomputer based on default tasks, wherein at least one user of themulti-user distributed system is operable to approve and manage thedocuments, pictures, tasks, and budget information, wherein at least oneof the documents corresponds to at least one of the tasks and isautomatically generated based on the stored input data, and wherein thesystem generates an alert or notification if a line item or a total of abudget exceeds an approved amount.

The present invention provides systems and methods for automatedmethodologies and/or tools accessible via a network, such as theInternet, for assessment for quality of investment, remediation and/orredevelopment including a network-based computer system havinginteractive software via web-based user interface for automated processmethodologies for the assessment phases, remediation phases, and/orredevelopment phases of brownfield real estate property, includingrequired steps in each of the phases. During the assessment or “preclosing” phase, a deal assessment or an investment assessment isanalyzed based upon identification of a prospective deal, identificationof a deal partner, salient facts represented in a memo, an investmentmemo, business planning, an acquisition go/no-go decision, and assetmanagement tools following property acquisition.

A salient facts memo template preferably includes at least the followingas illustrated in TABLE 1 (immediately below):

TABLE 1 Salient Facts Template [Project Name- Location] [Date] SummaryLocation: city and state and metropolitan statistical area Dealdescription: property size, development plan and exit strategy Market:current market value and historic peak to trough change in propertyvalue Financing: capital requirements, capital commitments and debtstructure Environmental: any perceived or actual, current or historicimpacts at the property Expected return on investment: internal rate ofreturn and multiple Property Summary of property, including size,previous uses, ownership history, existing structures andinfrastructure, and other features. Location/Market Summary of theproperty location and overview of local market conditions. ProjectSummary of the business strategy, including acquisition, remediation,development and exit. Sellers/Deal Partner Description of the propertyseller, deal partner, equity investors and other relevant parties.Community/Politics Summary of the extent of support and/or opposition tothe project. Environmental Summary of perceived or actual, current orhistoric environmental impacts and remediation requirements.Entitlements Provide summary of zoning, land use classification andother permits associated with property entitlements. Financing/FinancialSummary of capital commitments, debt, and other financial Incentivesobligations, as well as any financial incentives. Development PlanSummary of development plan with breakdown of property types and marketrates for each property type. Estimated Revenue/ Summary of projectedrevenue and preliminary costs for Project Costs redevelopment based onthe development plan. Economics Estimates of return on equity based onproforma or back-of-the- envelope estimates (internal rate of return andmultiple rates of return).

Thus, the salient facts memo includes factors such as propertydescription essential for identification, environmental evaluation, etc.required for analyzing the investment, rather than the procedures forproject management. Steps required for remediation phase that followbuilding the foundation, which includes communicating core values of theproject approach, i.e., core environmental values, language foroperating agreements, etc., and following property acquisition, includethe environmental management process, building the team, assessing andunderstanding the environmental issues and aspects of the project,developing environmental strategy and obtaining environmentalremediation insurance, implementing the plan including preparing thesite for safety and emergency responses, monitoring the process,reviewing strategy and ensuring environmental compliance; measuringperformance including financial and environmental performance,conducting independent audits, and review by top management; continuousimprovement to correct, prevent, and/or improve any issue presented,setting environmental performance goals and improving environmentalperformance. These steps ensure complete and integrated assessment ofthe environmental issues consistent with regulatory requirements, etc.

Furthermore, streamlined software allows for processes of manual andautomatic approval throughout the pre-closing processes and upkeep ofthe brownfield information and budget during the post-closing phase.During the pre-approval phase, the system provides a multitude ofdifferent roles for individual users such that each role is grantedaccess to specific aspects of the system, including approval andinformation editing abilities. Furthermore, contracts, negotiations, andbudget management features are available to different users based on anadministrator-controlled role management system. Each of these featuresallows for a streamlined process of securing and managing a brownfieldinvestment through both pre-closing and post-closing features. Thefeatures and benefits of each aspect of the Methodology, Approach,Process (MAP) system will become apparent through the variousembodiments described in this disclosure.

Preferably, a virtual network or cloud-based system is provided insupport of a distributed network for interactive automated assessment ofbrownfield assets for considering investment, remediation and/orredevelopment, as illustrated in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a networked system and remote servercomputer associated with the systems and methods of the presentinvention. As illustrated in FIG. 1 , a basic schematic of some of thekey components of the system including remote server computer andnetwork access to the prediction market system, according to the presentinvention are shown. The system 2000 includes a server 2210 with aprocessing unit 2111. The server 2210 is constructed, configured andcoupled to enable communication over a network 2250. The server providesfor user interconnection with the server over the network using apersonal computer (PC) 2240 positioned remotely from the server.Furthermore, the system is operable for a multiplicity of remotepersonal computers or terminals 2260, 2270. For example, in aclient/server architecture, as shown. Alternatively, a user mayinterconnect through the network 2250 using a user device such as apersonal digital assistant (PDA), mobile communication device, such asby way of example and not limitation, a mobile phone, a cell phone,smart phone, laptop computer, netbook, a terminal, or any othercomputing device suitable for network connection and with satellitegeolocation capabilities. Also, alternative architectures may be usedinstead of the client/server architecture. For example, a thin clientsystem or other suitable architecture may be used. The network 2250 maybe the Internet, an intranet, or any other network suitable forsearching, obtaining, and/or using information and/or communications.The system of the present invention further includes an operating system2212 installed and running on the server 2210, enabling server 2210 tocommunicate through network 2250 with the users thereof. The operatingsystem may be any operating system known in the art that is suitable fornetwork communication.

An internet or intranet based dashboard is utilized to provide financialdata for potential deals as well as existing assets and portfolios. Thedashboard is populated with real-time data and is updated in real-time,with the real-time data coming from a multiplicity of devices connectedto the intranet or internet.

The present invention also provides systems and methods for optimizedautomated assessment, remediation and redevelopment of brownfield realestate property including the steps of: providing a server computeroperable with software for storing and analyzing data associated witheach of three phases of development, including an assessment phase, aremediation phase, and a redevelopment phase of brownfield real estateproperty assets; providing a database for storing data relating to priordeveloped brownfield assets compared to an evaluation date; assessmentfor remediation and/or redevelopment including a network-based computersystem having interactive software via web-based user interface forautomated process methodologies and/or tools and/or templates for thesteps for reviewing brownfield real estate property redevelopmentopportunities; providing at least one server computer, located centrallyor distributed over a network and operable for remote interactiveconnection by at least one remote computer, at least one server computerin network communication with remote computer(s) for providing remoteinteractive user interface with the system and for receiving inputs fromthe remote server computer(s) regarding data from a first targetbrownfield asset, the server computer operable for generatinginstructions for review and management of any brownfield asset by way ofautomated comparison to similar prior developed brownfield assetsrepresented by data in the database. A given user may have amultiplicity of brownfield asset targets being managed by the systemunder the present invention. Also, preferably the multiplicity ofprojects are automatically compared and contrasted with each other for agiven user to systematically identify which properties are most closelyfollowing best practices, (i.e., having most efficient and effective useof resources, success with remediation and redevelopment against goals,etc.) By way of example and not limitation, in one embodiment, criteriais established based upon the specific user: a project manager will havedifferent criteria that are project milestone-based, in contrast to aninvestor user who will be focused more on the economic criteria of aproject, etc.

Advantageously, utilization of the systems and methods of the presentinvention provide for cost containment for the assessment, remediationand/or redevelopment of brownfield assets and increase confidence thatthe remediation process is structured, disciplined, and thorough. Themethod for optimized automated assessment and remediation of brownfieldreal estate property preferably includes the steps of: providing aserver computer operable with software for storing and analyzing dataassociated with each of three phases of development, including anassessment phase, a remediation phase, and a redevelopment phase ofbrownfield real estate property assets; providing criteria forautomatically determining if a project relating to a first targetbrownfield asset is conforming to standards for brownfield development;providing assessment for remediation and/or redevelopment including anetwork-based computer system having interactive software via web-baseduser interface for automated process methodologies and/or tools for thesteps for reviewing brownfield real estate property redevelopmentopportunities (or project); providing at least one server computer,located centrally or distributed over a network and operable for remoteinteractive connection by at least one remote computer, the at least oneserver computer in network communication with remote computer(s) forproviding remote interactive user interface with the system and forreceiving inputs from the remote server computer(s) regarding data fromthe first target brownfield asset, the server computer operable forgenerating instructions for review and management of the project for anybrownfield asset. Also, preferably, the assessment phase includes aninvestment assessment to determine whether the project will provide atleast a predetermined minimum return of capital plus profit on aninvestment of capital required to complete the project in apredetermined time.

The method further includes providing an environmental management system(EMS) for automatically identifying errors and problems (e.g.,nonconformance or noncompliance with a standard, processes, timeline, orthreshold) and/or modifying processes to indicate previous errors andproblems in order to prevent similar errors and problems on futureprojects. Thus, a self-correcting process for identifying errors andproblems is built into the EMS for assisting a continuingly improvinginvestment and management process. The system and methods of the presentinvention provide automation based upon intellectual capital, includingsmart systems that provide automatic generation of steps based uponinformation from past projects and preferably further includeconsideration of indicated and identified errors relating tononconformance and noncompliance from the past projects. The tools andsystems of the EMS are further operable to create a process foridentifying and preventing nonconformance and noncompliance in futureprojects through automatic generation of indications or warnings inprojects with similar components or related facts, features, and/orcharacteristics.

The present invention provides an automated, integrated solutionmethodology and tools (MAP) that ensures systematic, high qualityenvironmental results in a cost-efficient and effective manner byproviding remote, interactive assessment and automated comparison torelevant, similar best practices and/or prior brownfield projects havingdata stored in the system database. The system and methods provide fortools, templates, checklists, and flow diagrams for automated projectmanagement with best practices that ensure time savings, cost savings,and consistent approaches for redeveloping unique brownfield real estateassets. Advantageously, the systems and methods of the present inventionsolve longstanding, unmet needs in this field, and are informed byprocesses based on years of experience, so that the multiple users(multi-users) of the system benefit from the experience themselveswithout the need to manually analyze multiple past project and/orproperty data stored in MAP in order to make decisions and noticepotential issues in an investment and management process.

The Environmental Management System (EMS) that forms part of the presentinvention is certified to ISO (International Standards Organization)environmental management standards (e.g., ISO 14001) and requirescontinuous improvement and annual audits. This ISO certification isunique for a private equity real estate investment company. Because ofthe complexities of project management with brownfield remediationand/or redevelopment compared to greenfield real estate development, andenvironmental and regulatory issues, the present invention provides astreamlined, systematic, integrated and interactive website-baseddistributed network for multi-user access to project management ofbrownfield asset projects, including three major phases and the stepsassociated with each of them.

Notably, the multi-user access to project management under the presentinvention provides for multi-user on one project and/or multi-user onmultiple projects. The multiplicity of MAP system distributed users areselected from the group consisting of Municipal officials (planning,housing, economic development, or parks and recreation department);State government; Policy specialists; Regulators; Developers;Facilitators or mediators; Engineers and scientists; Architects; Riskassessors/Fate and Transport of contamination experts; Environmentalconsultants; business leaders; Public sector financial representatives;Community leaders representatives/community members; Private fundingsource representatives; insurance representatives; private lenders;property owners; municipal public relations experts; Environmentalprotection agencies; Professionals making living providing servicesaround brownfield redevelopment; and combinations thereof.

Another key feature and functionality of the systems and methods of thepresent invention is that EMS is a disciplined, structured andsystematic methodology with automation and visualization tools thatpredict outcomes for investment opportunities, generate recommendations,and provide indications and warnings based on previous projects. Thesesystems enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of remediation andreduces problems (e.g. nonconformance or noncompliance issues) in thefuture, including but not limited to health or environmental problemsand combinations thereof.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the MAP Process Flow according tothe present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates the underwriting decision tree used and automatedrule sets utilized by the systems and methods of the present invention.The MAP system at its core facilitates the processes depicted in FIG. 3and allows for approval, documentation, and storage of projects andproject files. The major decision points and relationship to the MAPsystem are identified in the description of each feature within thisdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating steps in the Acquisitionprocess.

FIG. 5 is another flow diagram illustrating steps in the EnvironmentalManagement System process.

FIG. 6 is another flow diagram illustrating steps in one embodiment ofthe invention and related hierarchy of stages of the SustainablePlanning & Development process.

FIG. 7 is a diagram stages in the Three-Stage Sustainability Process.

FIG. 8 is another flow diagram illustrating steps in the CorporateCommunications & External Affairs process).

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating process steps in the MAP DevelopmentProcess.

Features and benefits of the present invention include but are notlimited to the following:

Inspires and motivates stakeholders by providing specific project casestudies in a ‘before and after’ format to illustrate a brownfieldredevelopment project's potential impact to convert an eyesore into anasset. Project benefits are economic, environmental and/or societal.

Modeling scenarios for returns on public/private investment to supportTax Increment Financing (TIF) or ROI for public investment.

Saving time and money while ensuring a complete consideration ofpertinent issues by providing a structured and disciplined approach tomeasuring deals against a set of criteria.

Modeling a well-considered deal for third parties to emulate, whichincrease the likelihood that deal is funded, as well as the likelihoodof the success of the project or deal.

Saving time and money by modeling a thorough set of pre-developmentplans that also serves as an excellent marketing piece for a project.

Reducing the risk of project failure because of project manager or anyindividual's errors, omissions, and/or failure to include all factors inplanning a project.

Educating the distributed multiplicity of users on key issues andeffective use of time and money in planning and executing a brownfieldredevelopment project.

Saving significant time over planning a complex project without any“road map” or guidelines that are relevant specifically to brownfieldprojects, including automated comparisons to prior brownfielddevelopments.

Saving time and encouraging high quality outcome by providing templatesfor decision-making documents, e.g., by way of example and notlimitation, Salient facts, Investment memos and Asset managementupdates.

Saving time and encouraging high quality outcome by providingspreadsheets that are automatically developed to support financialanalysis and project management for brownfield asset management for agiven project, wherein the remote multiplicity of users interactivelyinput specific project numbers wherein the automated system and methodsthen generate thorough and sophisticated reports specific for trackingbrownfield asset project management.

The present invention is further directed to methods and systems thatautomate the subjective nature of brownfield investment decisions byextracting, aggregating, transforming, matching, and presentingbrownfield information in order to automate several processes in thedecision making process of brownfield investment. The brownfieldinformation includes financial, environmental, political, execution,infrastructure, and other measurable criterion pertinent to theinvestment process. The system compiles information either stored in thelocal MAP system (current and previous projects) or in externaldatabases (e.g. data from the U.S. Census Bureau) and based onpre-programmed thresholds and rules is operable to outputrecommendations on investment as well as corresponding graphs andfigures to aid in the selection of brownfield investment properties.

The information includes but is not limited to:Demographics/Economics/Real Estate Performance/Trends (nationalemployment trends by industry, annual housing starts, annualized federalfunds effective rate, National Property Index (NPI) annual returns byreal estate sector, NPI annual returns by region), and EnvironmentalSustainability/Political Risks and Public Policy/Development PartnerPotential (infrastructure spending, entitlement timing, Tax IncrementFinancing (TIF), solar energy use, Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design (LEED) registered projects, hybrid or electricvehicle registration, Comprehensive Environmental Response,Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) sites, ambientair quality, number of red ozone days, voluntary cleanup programs,development partner potential). Also included in the information is anindication of present, planned, and historical funds exposure, includingat least an indication for each market total exposure, debt, and equity.Population growth, household growth, per capita income growth,employment growth, unemployment rates, education statistics such aspercentage of population with bachelor's degrees, master degrees,professional degrees, doctorate degrees, etc. are also considered asfactors for evaluating investment in properties. Real estate performanceand trends by sector are also considered, including residentialproperties for sale, residential properties for rent, retail propertiesfor sale, retail properties for rent, office properties for sale, officeproperties for rent, industrial properties for sale, and industrialproperties for rent.

Information relevant to the calculation of rate of return and return oninvestment is also relevant to the decision making and recommendationprocesses of the present invention, including sources of costs incurredand revenue received though an investment. This information includes:revenue sources, such as calculated or estimated sales, marketing, andpublic revenue; and/or expenses, such as design and engineering,infrastructure construction, fees and permits, and other overhead costs.

In one embodiment, employment and education trends are sourced from theBureau of Labor Statistics or a similar entity. Alternatively,employment trends are determined from websites which include employmentinformation such as LINKEDIN, MONSTER, FACEBOOK, etc. Analysis softwaredetermines the number or percentage of people employed in a particularsector such as construction, law, health, education, service industry,etc. or overall in a certain area which is being considered forinvestment. Additionally, trends in employment, such as percentageincreases or decreases overall or in certain sectors are determinedusing the analysis software. Annual single family housing starts arealso determined via the US Census or via local or cloud-based analysissoftware which analyzes websites which include information about newconstruction (number of houses, apartments, office buildings, and/orretail buildings built in a city, zip code, region, etc.) such asZILLOW, REDFIN, etc.

The system extracts and aggregates the information, stores it in the MAPmemory and database and performs transformation and matching functionsaccording to specific rules and algorithms in order to determine a valuefor each brownfield site. These algorithms and matching function providefor new methods of evaluation of potential investments. Notably, theprocesses described herein are not identical to the steps performedmentally by humans to evaluate investments. The present inventionadvantageously provides for quantification of processes which werepreviously subjective and manual, and thus transforms the subjectiveskill set formerly used to evaluate properties into rules and algorithmsthat provide consistency, expediency, and optimization to the investmentprocess.

In one embodiment, thresholds and rules of the system are dependent upona financial metric, including a determined rate of return, return oninvestment, and/or a multiple. For example, in one embodiment, thethreshold for recommendation on investment is equal to a ProjectInternal Rate of Return (IRR) of 1%. The system then determines a sum ofall revenue, funds, and other cash inflow as well as a sum of allexpenses and cash outflow relating to a particular brownfield investmentsite in relation to and based on the time projected to complete theproject determines an IRR. If the IRR is greater than or equal to 1%,the system returns a positive recommendation as well as graphs, tables,and charts detailing both the costs by year as well as the resultinginvestment-relevant calculations (including IRR, Modified IRR, and/orMultiple). Conversely, if a calculated IRR is less than 1%, the systemreturns a negative recommendation as well as the relevant graphs,tables, and charts. Further metrics for thresholds include at least:internal rate of return, modified internal rate of return, net cashflow, equity, costs, revenue, or any other financial metric relevant toinvestment decision making.

In another embodiment, revenue and costs are further calculated by thesystem in a “best case,” “likely case,” and “worst case” scenario.Thresholds are operable to be set according to each of these scenarios.For example, a best case scenario threshold is set such that the cost isgreater than or equal to $1, the likely case threshold is set to $2, andthe worst case threshold is set to $3. If any of the projected costsexceed these thresholds, a negative recommendation is returned.

Notably, thresholds are operable to be set relative to multiplevariables relevant to a project file, including those of quantitative,qualitative, semantic, structured, and unstructured data. In anotherembodiment, a project file has a location in area X, and therecommendation system is configured to provide a positive recommendationif the project has a high number of LEED certified projects, an IRR ofgreater than 1%, and a multiple of greater than 2. The system retrievesdata from an external database, which determines that area X contains ahigh number of LEED certified projects. The IRR is determined to be 2%,and the multiple is determined to be 1. Since the multiple does not meetthe threshold requirement, the system returns a negative recommendationas well as the graphs, tables, charts, and calculations necessary tounderstand the project and the variables used for the recommendation. Ina preferred embodiment, multiple variables are calculated for eachscenario, and an IRR for each of the scenarios is derived from thecalculated variables. An investment recommendation is then generatedbased on the IRR and a set threshold.

In retrieving information from an external database, the system isfurther operable to connect to partner memories, databases, and systemsin order to retrieve costs, revenue, or budget information relative to abrownfield project. These costs, revenue, or budget information isfurther used to determine a total IRR, multiple, or other financialmetric in order to derive an investment recommendation. Thus, analysisand recommendation on investment is made possible in investmentopportunities in partnership with at least one other entity.

The decision engine of the present invention is further operable todetermine downside scenario projections and recommendations. Downsidescenario projections account for a change in the investment scenario anda modification of variables affecting a calculation of the revenue orcosts in a project. For example, in one investment project, the systemdetermines a recommendation on investment for the following situations:a base project; the base project with a 25% increase in costs; the baseproject with a 25% increase in costs, a 25% decrease in absorption rate,and an increased project sell out time of 25 years; the base projectwith a 25% increase in costs and a 25% decrease in revenue; and the baseproject with a 25% increase in costs, a 25% decrease in revenue, a 25%decrease in absorption rate, and an increase project sell out time of 25years. For each of these situations, the total costs, revenue, IRR,multiple, and other values pertinent to the investment decision arecalculated and presented in graphs, tables, and charts. An investmentdecision based on the preset thresholds for investment are provided foreach downside scenario.

Note that the variables, numbers, and thresholds used in the aboveexamples are for illustration purposes only and are not actual valuesfor brownfield project investment. One skilled in the art will recognizethat the variables, numbers, and thresholds are operable to be set orcalculated at any value or interval reasonable in the art of brownfieldproject investment.

Budgeting also provides a variable through which the decision andrecommendation engines of the present invention determine an investmentrecommendation. In one embodiment, a budget for a brownfield project iscompared to the projected revenue and costs of the brownfield site forset number of years. If the calculated costs exceed a budget or of a netcash flow is lower than a budgeted value, the system outputs a negativerecommendation for investment. Graphs, tables, and charts that accountfor the projected investment as well as the budgeted items are furtheroutput along with the recommendation. Line items for each cost, revenue,or budget item are included as part of the recommendation output.

Preferably, the system is operable to analyze and providerecommendations on multiple projects at a time. For example, if aproject includes 10 brownfield investment sites, the system analyzeseach of the 10 projects and at least one corresponding budget andprovides a recommendation for each of the brownfield sites (e.g., 3positive recommendations and 7 negative recommendations). The system isfurther operable to sort the recommendations according to the largestrate of return, shortest projected sell-out time, or any other variablerelevant to the investment recommendation.

The system is operable to change a threshold value based on a user inputthrough a web-based graphical user interface (GUI) or other manualcomputer input method, including a command line interface (CLI) or adigital spreadsheet. Thresholds are set globally as a default valueand/or are set for each project file individually. Thus, a standard fora positive recommendation is set but is adjustable for individualproject needs.

Upon performing the processes above to assess a potential brownfieldinvestment site, the transformed data is stored with the matchedproperty file in the MAP database. The transformed data includes graphsand illustrations as visual representations of the rules and matchingalgorithms performed by the system. For example, in one embodiment, aproject file for a brownfield site in Durham, N.C. provides a map withmarkers indicating the population of Durham as well indications of thesizes of other comparable markets.

The processes and systems described herein are a significant improvementto the current process of brownfield investment. Brownfield investmenthas traditionally been focused on “optimistic” or “creative” approachesto investment leads, which leaves the investment with an unclearprobability of success. These subjective approaches involve an artisticand experienced evaluator manually compiling the facts, information, andstatistics about potential sites and deciding whether or not to investbased on intuition. In addition, the investment in projects as a resultof this subjective process leads to projects that are driven andmonitored by “inertia,” or a focus on the projects that have significantinterest or progress. Beneficially, the present invention providessystems and rules that direct investment decisions through astandardized process that provides streamlined, accurate management,recording, and monitoring. The ordered combination of the systemcomponents and method steps provides an inventive, non-obvious processfor brownfield investment through implementation of components thatallow for documentation, approval, and collaboration features thatprovide a specific process to brownfield investments. This process isone that was not available before computer technology, as thecombination of analytical features with other interactive componentsprovides a tool that makes concrete investment decisions and suggestionsthat are not dependent upon subjective processes.

The system is generally divided into pre-closing and post-closingoperations. The process of closing is directly tied to the system, whichallows for each step to take place in a streamlined manner.

Pre-Closing

A lead for a property is sourced or introduced to the system of thepresent invention through a variety of ways, including direct referralto the system through an email, web portal, or any other electroniccommunication. In one embodiment, a lead recognizer feature of theintranet recognizes a potential lead from the text of an email and addsthe lead to the lead queue. Alternatively, a web crawler searches theInternet for potential leads on websites and adds the potential lead toa lead queue. After sourcing the lead, the lead is screened based on avariety of criteria, including location, zoning, public and/or mediaopinion on development in the location, lender availability, type ofenvironmental contamination or pollution, use restrictions imposed byremediation requirements, wildlife habitat, flood plain, wetlands,airport proximity, topographical data, historical structures or areasincluding historic commission restrictions, easements, the need forregulatory approval for development, asking price vs. lowest price thatcan be offered for desirable return on investment (ROI), and any otherfactor pertinent to purchasing a property. Preferably, an automatedscreening tool screens the lead. The automated screening tool isoperable to access the intranet as well as the internet and use webcrawling software to determine this information if it is not provided.In one embodiment, a sourced property lead is operable to be flagged tonot be screened automatically by the screening tool and is instead sentvia email or another electronic messaging system to a party for review.In another embodiment, a sourced property lead is flagged for automatedscreening. Preferably, an electronic message alert system sends anelectronic message to an account when a property lead has been screenedalong with the results of the screening. Screening results includerecommendations such as “Pursue”, “Pass”, or “Further InvestigationRequired”. If the tool recommends that the lead be pursued or furtherinvestigated, the lead is added to a leads queue for pursuit anddeliberation. A due diligence spend amount and a priority of theproperty compared to other properties in the queue is preferablyautomatically defined based on the factors used in the screeningcriteria. A salient facts memo including the due diligence spend amountand an action plan is generated during the pursuit and deliberationphase. If the lead is passed on during the pursuit and deliberationphase, a quantifiable factor which was a reason for passing on the leadis incorporated into the screening tool to screen future leads.Preferably, the quantifiable factor relates to at least one of thefactors used by the screening tool to screen leads. By way of example,wildlife habitat of a critically endangered species overlapping with theproperty, a percentage of the property that is in a flood plain, or thepresence of a particular contaminant on the property are all bases forthe screening tool to automatically recommend a pursue, pass, or furtherinvestigation action for a property with the same or similar qualitiesin the future.

Approval Functions

During pre-phase negotiations, each brownfield project file is createdand assigned a Global Deal Identification (ID). The project file ispopulated with a list of requirements, stages, and resources that areinitially void of information and are operable to be filled in by auser. Alternatively, the list of requirements, stages, and resources areautomatically filled in with suggested information and values. This listincludes at least an ability to generate, hold, and edit agreements(partnership agreements, letters of intern, term sheets, etc.), view andadjust a budget, as well as hold and edit comments, notes, and documentsused internally for making investment decisions. For the agreements, thesystem is operable to generate a template document (e.g., a templateLetter of Intent) including information about the site from thebrownfield project file. Upon generation, the system is operable toallow a user to sign the document, edit it, send it to another user forapproval, and send it to an external entity. When the document is sentto another user for approval, the system is further operable to alert auser with approval ability of the document in need of approval. Notably,the document is not limited to a physical, hard-copy document or agenerated document from word-processor, as the documents generatedinclude web-based files and projects that are further able to beapproved.

Tasks

Additionally, a tasks function allows a user to assign tasks to aproject needed for both pre-closing and post-closing procedures. Tasksare listed in the MAP system with the project they are assigned to. Inone embodiment, tasks are paired with documents and files pertinent tothe tasks and upon completion by a user, the tasks are automatically ormanually marked as completed. For example, in one embodiment, a useroverseeing a project sets up a list of all of the steps, approvals, anddocuments that need to be completed during due diligence phase ofinvestment. If a second user working on the project is responsible forsigning off on an agreement, the tasks function allows for the seconduser to download the agreement, sign it, and upload the signed documentback to the server. The tasks function automatically marks the task ascompleted upon reupload.

Negotiation

Similar to the document management function, the negotiation functionallows for communication between internal and external entities in orderto negotiate agreements, deals, budgets, etc. Communication includessending a document or contract information about the brownfield projectinternally or externally, as well as combining the document orinformation sent with the editing and signing abilities of the system.In one example, a Partnership Agreement is sent to an external source,feedback on the agreement is received by the system, the agreement isedited to reflect this feedback, and the edited agreement is sent toanother entity for approval.

Furthermore, feedback and auditing features allow for users to requestand send surveys, evaluations, and general feedback forms to internaland external entities and log the responses through the MAP system.Forms include large text entries, single-line text entries, radioselectors, and any other method of providing feedback information knownin the art of digital feedback surveys. The system is operable to sendthe surveys, evaluations, and general feedback forms through the MAPsystem itself to another MAP user or through an external mail system toan email address. The email thereby links to the MAP system itself forguest access to the survey. Alternatively, replies to the email areautomatically routed and stored in the project file.

Property leads which pass the pursuit and deliberation phase move on tothe seeking control or under control phase. The seeking control phaseincludes collaboration on documents related to due diligence andinvestment in the property. This collaboration is preferably web-basedand is performed through an interactive graphical user interface (GUI).

Budgeting

Budgeting implementations of the MAP system allow for a user to produceand edit a budget for a brownfield project. The budget includes at leastan ability to enter in a budget estimate, wherein the budget includesboth automatically calculated values and manually input values. Theautomatically calculated values are extracted from other files anddocuments in the brownfield project system, including a proposal or aterm sheet. Budget values are operable to be adjusted by users, and boththe initial budget and the adjusted budget are operable to be approvedby users with approval capabilities. Furthermore, if a budget increasesbeyond a threshold set by a user, the system is operable to send analert to one or more users and/or perform an action, including attachinga label to the project and/or cancelling the project. In one embodiment,the system sends an alert or notification to a user when a budgetincreases beyond $100,000 of an approved budget limit. In anotherembodiment, a threshold is set to send an alert when a line item orindividual component of the budget increases beyond $25,000 of anapproved budget limit. In further embodiments, percentage limits set thethreshold to percentages of an approved budget, for example at 115% of aline item or 110% of a total budget.

Additionally, the system is operable to allow users to send budgetrequests and request approvals. For example, if a user requests approvalfor a travel expense, a user with approval capabilities is sent anotification of a request, and based on the response of the user withapproval capabilities, the requesting user is notified of an approval ordenial.

Post-Closing

An investment decision is made after the property lead has gone throughthe pursuit and deliberation phase. Upon a positive investment decisionbeing made, regular reports are generated relating to environmentalfactors, construction, legal issues, milestones, and budget. Thesereports are automatically generated based on integration with othersoftware including bank accounts and email accounts. Specializedhardware such as that used to measure contaminants (e.g. hydrocarbonspillages, solvents, pesticides, heavy metals including lead, andasbestos) is linked to the system of the present invention usingwireless communication such as radio frequency (RF) communication, NEARFIELD COMMUNICATION (NFC), ZIGBEE, wireless internet connectivity,cellular communications including 3G, 4G, 5G, etc. and any other form ofwired or wireless communication.

For post-closing projects, the MAP system provides a history of allpre-closing activity and documents as well as an ability to monitor andadjust the project file. In one embodiment, the system provides ConsumerInformation Statement (CIS) resources for reviewing asset managementoversight as well as ownership and relationship agreements betweeninvestors and other parties involved in the brownfield investment.

Additionally, a combination feature of the system allows for twodifferent project files to be combined into one. When combined by auser, the images, text, documents, history, and other elements from afirst project file are combined with the elements of the second file. Inone embodiment, the elements of the first project file are meshed withthe elements of the second file. In another embodiment, the elements ofthe first project file are kept separate from the second project filebut are reflected in the second project file via an additional link,folder, webpage, or other mechanism of storing elements of the secondproject file.

Post-closing functions also include providing compensation to theappropriate parties and approving and filing income tax returns. Thesefunctions are preferably integrated with the system using payroll andtax software such that payments are scheduled and automatically made bythe system.

Sample deal documents that illustrate what products of variouscomponents should look like include insurance documents that educateusers on the best strategies to manage and mitigate project risk and thespecific financial instruments they may use to do so.

The system further provides automated deal analysis for users with“lessons learned” from prior projects that are directly relevant to thecase in point and that help project leaders avoid mistakes by providingcustomized comparables or case studies and workflow process diagrams anddevelopment checklists to ensure successful development outcomes.

Furthermore, the system provides an international standards organization(ISO) environmental management standards-based automated system andmethods for brownfield development that includes the following featuresand benefits, by way of example and not limitation: Providing astructured, disciplined, cost efficient approach to managing theenvironmental portion of a redevelopment project. System establishes andarticulates strong environmental principles and provides standardoperating guidelines for execution.

The EMS further guides project managers in a 5 step-by-step process, asignificant benefit in the complicated world of brownfieldredevelopments where many struggle for direction. Standard OperatingGuidelines direct user in the most efficient use of time and money whileconcurrently prescribing a high degree of environmental stewardship.

The present invention systems and methods successfully address thelongstanding unmet need in the industry for providing automated,networked, and real-time access to templates and tools developed andrefined over 20 years project experience with case studies, includingEMS documents that are ready-to-use templates for saving time, helpingto avoid mistakes by individuals, reducing expenses and/or risk, andimproving safety.

The systems and methods of the present invention also enhance a user'scredibility in brownfield development. By following the EMS, projectleaders make a statement to stakeholders that they are committed toquality and that their commitment translates into a systematic, proven,process-based project methodology, including winning confidence oflenders, regulators, insurers, and others gain confidence that projectmanagement is thorough, disciplined and cost effective, and remotelyviewable and monitorable by those entities, with secure and transparentaccess provided by the system user for a given project.

Also, a database of properties is provided for remote access by users,in particular for corporations owning a multiplicity of properties underdevelopment. This is particularly advantageous because brownfielddevelopment and regulations differ greatly by geographic location. Sucha remote database provides for the remote users to search and researchand compare projects according to a variety of factors, including butnot limited to a database of properties searchable and sortable by thefollowing factors, and combinations thereof:

Location/geographical area type pollutant/contamination water, air,chemical active/inactive facility size value (estimated as is, clean,cost to clean) short term v. long term asset urban/rural Status, e.g.,No Further Action (NFA) letter in hand. Phase 1 complete, etc.

Furthermore, a database is provided for searching, finding, andconnecting with vendors. The database is preferably web-based. Vendorsinclude appraisers, architects, attorneys, real estate agents orbrokers, environmental consultants, insurance professionals, lenders,and other specialists that assist in the process of brownfield propertyinvestment. The database is searchable through MAP and is operable tolink to specific contact entries. The contact entries contain at leastnames, phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, and/or a listof involved projects. Project files are additionally operable to link toor display vendors connected to a project and provide any notes orpertinent information related to vendor interaction. In addition, thesystem provides synchronization abilities such that the database isoperable to interface with a digital address book, contacts system, ormail client and add and/or remove vendor contact information. In oneembodiment, the interfacing includes the export of all vendor entries toa separate file for import into another program (file types for contactsinclude vCard files, .vcf, archive files, .abbu, or any file that isoperable to contain structured contact information). In anotherembodiment, the interfacing occurs automatically, wherein the emailclient or the system actively syncs the vendor information. MICROSOFTOUTLOOK is used to sync the vendor information in one embodiment.Preferably, the information is automatically synced when the informationis updated.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, different MAP skinsor Graphical User Interface (GUI) formats are provided for differentstakeholders to allow the system to customize MAP for different usersand/or audiences to highlight most useful content for them. Also, apercent complete indicator is advantageously provided to automaticallygauge or monitor progress and prompt users to take next steps.

Optionally an EPA grant point calculator and guide for grantapplications is provided with the present invention; it is helpful tohighlight progress and to encourage high quality, particularly on targetapplications, including the following factors: qualitative based on keywords, and quantitative based on number of fields complete. A brownfieldprogram application for online participation with a project is provided,including an example for new users to make the application or projectaccount creation more efficient.

Visualization tools are helpful for soliciting community input and fordemonstrating progress, either with actual photos and/or illustrations,as the project proceeds through various stages. These tools preferablyprovide for automatic updating at predetermined stages on a projectmanagement timetable. Alternatively, manual uploading of photographicimages will trigger a corresponding automated updating of visualrepresentations of the project that are available only to authorizedproject members, to the predetermined guest users, to the generalpublic, and combinations thereof.

Preferably, in one embodiment of the present invention, an on-lineversion of visual representations of a project, including both imagesand text identifying the project phase is provided via an interactivewebsite and graphic user interface (GUI). Where authorized, the systemis adapted to allow at least one project manager to upload images anddescriptions of their respective project sites to make their projectimage-based information available to third parties, including but notlimited to universities and other creative, inexpensive design teams.Optionally, the project manager selectively authorizes multiple usersfrom the general public to submit photographic images of the site(s) intheir communities, thereby providing public exchange and input intracking progress, and encouraging support locally for the project.

Other visualization tools include transformation slides showingillustrations of the property “as is” prior to project commencement andwhat it can look like in the future at predetermined stages of theproject, including project completion; status reporting automaticallytriggered by updating images of a project, as soon as they are uploadedor inputted to the system, preferably remotely.

Additionally, an automatic, interactive GUI is coupled with the systemsand methods of the present invention that provides the at least onemultiple remote user(s) to create a visual model of a potential site forbrownfield development with predetermined items for “drag-and-drop”objects that are selectively combinable to create a virtual projectcompleted view.

Furthermore, the system is operable to retrieve and store mappingelements from external databases, such as publicly available GeographicInformation System (GIS) data—and display this information in the MAPsystem. The interactive GUI is operable to display the geographiclocation data in a map with property boundaries along with informationabout the site, including spatial data analysis integrating real estate,demographic, environmental, community, psychographic, and otherparameters that help to indicate value for potential sites. Other GISinformation includes at least an address, current owner, building andland value, build date, and property size. GIS information alsoadvantageously includes map overlay views of population densityachievable in the entitlement process, use restrictions imposed byremediation requirements, wildlife habitat, flood plain, wetlands,airport proximity, topographical data, historical structures or areasincluding historic commission restrictions, easements, areas whereregulatory approval is needed, etc. In one embodiment, visualization forregulatory approval also includes indications of typical timelines forreceiving regulatory approval in the relevant location. The GIS systemalso includes links to GIS comparable properties or “comps” in oneembodiment, with a split screen view operable to show one or more GIScomparable properties. Typical service provider costs and turnaroundtimes are also displayed on the GIS map for the relevant location. Inanother embodiment, potential funding information is included in the GISmap relative to the property. Private funding factors are representedusing visual indicia for market comparison, development milestonesrequired by lenders for funding, lenders' willingness to assumeenvironmental risk, and include color coding, shading, and/or icons toindicate levels of desirability or risk. Public funding factors includejurisdictional experience with issuing relevant securities in sizerange, capital market capacity for issuance, municipality credit health,headline risk, and land plan harmony with public finance objective, andare also indicated visually or textually on the GIS map. Historicalopposition to development, proposed use vs. current zoning and press andpublic attitude towards development are also indicated visually ortextually in the GIS. For any factors involving comparison (ex:comparing proposed use to the current zoning), a degree of difference isindicated using color overlays, such as using red to indicate a largedegree of difference and low probability of success, brown to indicate amoderate degree of difference and moderate probability of success, andgreen to indicate a low degree of difference and high probability ofsuccess. Advantageously, any information included in the GIS is alsooperable to be included in text format or any graphical format in therecord of the property on the internet or intranet. The interactive mapis displayed within a project file along with any information describingthe site as well as history and documents from pre-closing andpost-closing processes.

The present invention further includes decision analysis tools forhelping with planning, evaluation, and/or execution of projects,including prioritization and/or ranking of projects, in addition to mainbenefits of the systems and methods of the present invention, includingbut not limited to saving money, reducing time, and ensuring positiveoutcome from environmental, health, and/or safety perspectives.

Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled inthe art upon a reading of the foregoing description. By way of exampleand not limitation, systems and methods of the present invention forproviding risk management and containment of brownfield property assetsfor lenders, insurance providers, investors, stakeholders, andcombinations thereof, including a key aspect of the EMS being to obtainenvironmental insurance, the purpose of which is to limit cost ofremediation, which is often hard to project at a project's onset. Theabove-mentioned examples are provided to serve the purpose of clarifyingthe aspects of the invention and it will be apparent to one skilled inthe art that they do not serve to limit the scope of the invention. Allmodifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake ofconciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of thepresent invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for cloud based, multi-user assessmentof brownfield real estate assets comprising: at least one servercomputer constructed and configured to assess, manage, and display datarelating to a list of brownfield assets; at least one memory anddatabase operable to store technical data, documents, and budgetinformation related to the list of brownfield assets; and a web crawlerin network communication with the at least one server computer; whereinthe list of brownfield assets includes brownfield assets automaticallycompiled by the web crawler; wherein the at least one server computeranalyzes information related to at least one brownfield asset on thelist of brownfield assets and at least one previous brownfield asset,wherein the information includes revenue and projected or calculatedcosts; wherein the information further includes demographics, realestate performance and trends, environmental sustainability, politicalrisks and public policy, and/or development partner potential; whereinthe information is extracted from internal data sources and at least oneexternal database, aggregated within the at least one memory anddatabase, and matched to existing data or project files; wherein theanalysis includes extracting property variables from the externaldatabase and matching the property variables to internal data extractedfrom the internal data sources; wherein, based on at least one presetthreshold, the at least one server computer is operable to generate aninvestment recommendation based on the analysis and the matched data orproject files; wherein the at least one server computer is furtheroperable to receive at least one pass indication and at least onevariable of the analysis; wherein the at least one server computer isoperable to update the internal information based on the at least onepass indication and the at least one variable; a web-based graphicalinterface hosted on the at least one server computer, wherein theweb-based graphical interface is operable to: store input data relatingto the list of brownfield assets in the at least one memory anddatabase; search and sort the stored input data based on brownfieldinformation categories, including demographics, real estate performanceand trends, environmental sustainability, political risks and publicpolicy, and/or development partner potential to generate a filteredselection of brownfield assets; retrieve and display the stored inputdata relating to the filtered selection of brownfield assets ingraphical charts, maps, and graphs; and communicate the stored inputdata to an internal or external entity.
 2. The system of claim 1,further comprising an Environmental Management System (EMS) accessiblethrough the web-based graphical interface.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the at least one server computer outputs the information relatedto the at least one brownfield asset on the list of brownfield assetsand the at least one previous brownfield asset in a digital spreadsheet,including the analyzed information, wherein the digital spreadsheet issearchable and editable.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein a budget isautomatically generated from the documents and the budget informationcorresponding to the at least one of the brownfield assets.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein an administrator user account is operable toassign and manage tasks relating to the at least one brownfield asset onthe list of brownfield assets.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein theinformation for each of the at least one brownfield asset on the list ofbrownfield assets is stored in a corresponding project file with aGlobal Deal ID.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the web-basedgraphical interface is further operable to store vendor data, whereinthe vendor data includes fields for at least names, phone numbers, emailaddresses, physical addresses, and a list of involved projects.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the documents are operable to be signed,edited, and sent through the web-based graphical interface.
 9. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the brownfield assets compiled by the webcrawler are automatically screened by an automatic screening tool beforebeing added to the list of brownfield assets, wherein the automaticscreening of the brownfield assets compiled by the web crawler resultsin a decision regarding whether each brownfield asset passes theautomatic screening, fails the automatic screening, or requires furtherinvestigation, wherein passing the automatic screening means thebrownfield asset is added to the list of brownfield assets and failingthe automatic screening means the brownfield asset is not added to thelist of brownfield assets.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein thebrownfield assets compiled by the web crawler are automatically screenedby an automatic screening tool, wherein the automatic screening of thebrownfield assets compiled by the web crawler is based on qualitycontrol information for the property, wherein the quality controlinformation for the property includes location, zoning, public and/mediaopinion on development in the location, lender availability, type ofenvironmental contamination or pollution, use restrictions imposed byremediation requirements, wildlife habitat, flood plain, airportproximity, topographical data, historical structures or areas,easements, and/or need for regulatory approval for development for theproperty.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the web crawlerautomatically provides quality control information for each brownfieldasset.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the brownfield assets compiledby the web crawler are automatically screened by an automatic screeningtool, wherein an automatic alert message is generated after theautomatic screening of the brownfield assets compiled by the webcrawler, wherein the automatic alert message includes a decision of theautomatic screening for each brownfield asset.
 13. The system of claim1, wherein the brownfield assets compiled by the web crawler areautomatically screened by an automatic screening tool, wherein if theautomatic screening tool determines that further investigation isrequired for a particular brownfield asset and a particular brownfieldasset is determined to have failed in a further investigation, then theautomatic screening tool is updated with a quantifiable factor regardingthe decision to fail the particular brownfield asset, wherein thequantifiable factor is included in the automatic screening forsubsequent brownfield assets.
 14. A method for cloud based, multi-userassessment of brownfield real estate assets comprising: a web crawlerautomatically compiling brownfield assets; providing at least one servercomputer constructed and configured to assess, manage, and display datarelating to a list of brownfield assets, wherein the list of brownfieldassets includes the brownfield assets automatically compiled by the webcrawler; providing at least one memory and database operable to storetechnical data, documents, and budget information related to the list ofbrownfield assets; extracting and analyzing information related to atleast one brownfield asset on the list of brownfield assets and at leastone previous brownfield asset, including revenue and projected orcalculated costs, wherein the information is extracted from internaldata sources and an external database; aggregating the informationwithin the at least one memory and database, and matching theinformation to existing data or project files, wherein the informationincludes extracted property variables from the external database;matching the property variables to internal data extracted from theinternal data sources; generating, based on at least one presetthreshold, an investment recommendation based on the analysis and thematched existing data or project files; receiving at least one passindication and at least one variable of the analysis; updating theinternal information based on the at least one pass indication and theat least one variable; providing a web-based graphical interface hostedon the at least one server computer, the web-based graphical interface:storing input data relating to the list of brownfield assets in the atleast one memory and database; searching and sorting the stored inputdata based on brownfield information categories, including demographics,real estate performance and trends, environmental sustainability,political risks and public policy, and/or development partner potentialto generate a filtered selection of brownfield assets; retrieving anddisplaying the stored input data relating to the filtered selection ofbrownfield assets in graphical charts, maps, and graphs, includingdocuments, pictures, tasks, and budget information relating to at leastone brownfield asset of the filtered selection of brownfield assets;generating an alert or notification if a line item of a budget exceedsan approved amount.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprisingproviding an Environmental Management System (EMS) accessible throughthe web-based graphical interface.
 16. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising outputting the information related to the at least onebrownfield asset on the list of brownfield assets and the at least oneprevious brownfield asset in a digital spreadsheet, including theautomatically analyzed information, wherein the digital spreadsheet issearchable and editable.
 17. The method of claim 14, further comprisingautomatically generating a budget from the documents and the budgetinformation relating to the at least one of the brownfield assets. 18.The method of claim 14, further comprising assigning and managing tasksrelating to the at least one of the brownfield assets through anadministrator user account.
 19. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising storing the information, documents, pictures, tasks, andbudget information for each of the at least one brownfield asset on thelist of brownfield assets in a corresponding project file with a GlobalDeal ID.
 20. A system for cloud based, multi-user assessment ofbrownfield real estate assets comprising: at least one server computerconstructed and configured to assess, manage, and display data relatingto a list of brownfield assets; at least one memory and databaseoperable to store technical data, documents, and budget informationrelated to the list of brownfield assets; and at least one mobile deviceaccessible to input the technical data, documents, and budgetinformation related to the list brownfield assets, including geolocationinformation; wherein the list of brownfield assets includes brownfieldassets automatically compiled from online sources; wherein the at leastone server computer analyzes information related to at least onebrownfield asset on the list of brownfield assets and at least oneprevious brownfield asset, wherein the information includes revenue andprojected or calculated costs; wherein the information further includesdemographics, real estate performance and trends, environmentalsustainability, political risks and public policy, and/or developmentpartner potential; wherein the information is extracted from internaldata sources and an external database, aggregated within the at leastone memory and database, and matched to existing data or project files;wherein the analysis includes extracting property variables from theexternal database and matching the property variables to internal dataextracted from the internal data sources; wherein, based on thematching, the at least one server computer is operable to generate a sumof all cash inflow and a sum of all expenses for each of the matchedproperty variables; wherein the at least one server computer is operableto determine at least two rates of return from the generated sum of allcash inflow and the generated sum of all expenses for the at least onebrownfield asset on the list of brownfield assets; wherein theinformation extracted from internal data sources is based on data inputby the at least one mobile device; wherein the at least one servercomputer generates a spreadsheet with the analyzed information and arecommendation for investment based on the analysis and the matchedexisting data or project files; wherein the at least one server computeris further operable to receive at least one pass indication and at leastone variable of the analysis; wherein the at least one server computeris operable to update the internal information based on the at least onepass indication and the at least one variable; wherein the system isoperable to consider pass indications and related variables ingenerating subsequent investment recommendations; a web-based graphicalinterface accessible by the at least one mobile device and hosted on theat least one server computer, wherein the web-based graphical interfaceis operable to: store input data relating to the list of brownfieldassets in the at least one memory and database; search and sort thestored input data based on brownfield information categories, includingdemographics, real estate performance and trends, environmentalsustainability, political risks and public policy, and/or developmentpartner potential to generate a filtered selection of brownfield assets;retrieve and display the stored input data relating to the filteredselection of brownfield assets in graphical charts, maps, and graphs;wherein the input data includes documents, pictures, tasks, and budgetinformation relating to the at least one brownfield asset on the list ofbrownfield assets; wherein the tasks are automatically generated by theat least one server computer based on default tasks; wherein at leastone user of the multi-user distributed system is operable to approve andmanage the documents, pictures, tasks, and budget information; whereinat least one of the documents corresponds to at least one of the tasksand is automatically generated based on the stored input data; andwherein the system generates an alert or notification if a line item ofa budget exceeds an approved amount.